


A windowless hall

by alan713ch



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen, One Shot, Scott is the major character death, analysis of one's psyche when dying, happens in the fifteen minutes scott died in 5x10, long ass conversation between two characters, one scene, this show owes scenes like this to us
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 15:55:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5671681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alan713ch/pseuds/alan713ch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scott didn't think he would remember it. All the movies, all the books said you tend to forget those things. You just remembered the lesson, and that's it. Because who wants to deal with what happened when you died?</p>
<p>And yet, he remembered. It haunted him, every step he took, every decision he made. Every time he closed his eyes he found himself again in that dark hall, without windows, without sunlight, without nothing. He could see her face in his mom's face, hear her heels in the hustle of the hospital, feel her caress whenever one of his enemies punched him. </p>
<p>Enemies. He had enemies. All he had wanted was to be first line.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A windowless hall

Scott didn't think he would remember it. All the movies, all the books said you tend to forget those things. You just remembered the lesson, and that's it. Because who wants to deal with what happened when you died?

And yet, he remembered. It haunted him, every step he took, every decision he made. Every time he closed his eyes he found himself again in that dark hall, without windows, without sunlight, without nothing. He could see her face in his mom's face, hear her heels in the hustle of the hospital, feel her caress whenever one of his enemies punched him. 

Enemies. He had enemies. All he had wanted was to be first line. 

He tasted copper in his mouth again. She had warned him of it, that he wouldn't heal until he understood that it was not his fault. 

He knew she had been lying. 

She had to be. There was no way this hadn't been his fault. 

Maybe he should've taken the other option. Maybe he should've stayed. 

Would she had let him?

He knew he had been gone for fifteen minutes. In her palace, it had felt like a lifetime. 

She had been waiting for him. When he woke up, cold, breathless - or whatever illusion of breath his soul could muster - she had been there, standing in her heels, a feather snake around her neck like that boa Stiles' grandmother would wear when visiting Beacon Hills. 

Except the feathers were made of fire, and the head was a skull. 

"Hello, Scott."

"Who are you? Where am I? What's going on?"

"You're at my home. Most people don't get here on the fast track, but you were a special case. Had to make sure you weren't taking anyone with you again."

"Taking... anyone?"

"Your little raven? That idiot who can't seem to realize what he owes you?"

He felt the pang in his stomach. "What do you mean owe me?"

"I mean, more than once you saved him, and you even came here to string his broken pieces together just because you wouldn't give up on him, and he gave up on you as soon as blood touched his hands. As if you wouldn't understand."

"Understand?" But it was easy. He had been duped by Theo, which meant, "he killed in self defense, didn't he?"

"More like it was an accident, but yeah. But then he listened to the halfling, and his little raven thoughts spiraled out of control. Pity."

He could tell something else was in the tip of her tongue, but he didn't even know who she was, so he didn't press her. 

He hugged himself, shivering. The chill came from everywhere, so he just huddled into himself. 

Even if it didn't have eyelets, the snake slithered down from her neck and circled him, giving him warmth. It positioned itself to look at him in the eye, and even if it had no tongue he could feel it was sensing the air next to Scott. 

Tasting Scott. 

"Oh, don't mind him."

"Is this hell?"

"No. It's my home."

"Who are you?"

"Let's just say I owe your mother a debt."

"You know my mother?"

"Don't look at me like that, I know everybody. Everybody knows me, whatever name they give me."

"You are Death."

She just smiled.

"So I died. Theo killed me. And now he has my pack."

"Yes. Yes. No. He's not your kin, so he couldn't take your power from you. That is yours, and yours alone to give."

"Liam could've taken it."

"That is your brood."

"I never meant to."

"Are you confessing to me? I'm not Anubis, I have no scales. I'm not here to judge."

"Then why are you here?"

"To talk."

Scott looked down. He wasn't cold anymore, but he felt... Empty. Sad. 

Forgotten. 

"Can I see her?"

Her smile died a little. The little light in the room seemed to fade away. 

"No. I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

"She's not here. She's in the East, riding with the sun."

"So I am in hell."

"Do you really want me to call Lucifer?" He startled, "Am I really that bad?"

"I don't know who you are. I... I don't know many myths. All that I know is that Allison is not here, which means I'm not in heaven. So I'm in hell."

"Well, yes. But this is not hell. Just my palace. And you are not with her because you gave up."

"What?"

"Ever heard the term suicide by cop?"

He knew of it. One time before it had all gone down his dad had come home completely destroyed, and he could hear his parents talk about it. 

The young man had been in a bout of depression. According to Rafael he didn't deserved to die. 

But Scott knew he did. 

"He won."

"I'm afraid he did."

The snake circled closer, but the room kept getting colder. Maybe it was just Scott. 

The tears in his cheek felt like ice. He closed his eyes trying to force them away, but they just kept coming. 

"Ay, m'ijo," the woman - Death - knelt next to him and caressed his cheek, "I'm sorry."

"Why? Aren't we supposed to die at some point?"

"It wasn't your time." And when he followed her gaze, he saw a candle, the smoke still rising from its wick. 

It was tall and thick. It shouldn't have died on its own. 

"I'm here to give you a choice."

"To go back."

"You don't have to. You'll stay here. Forgotten. I'm afraid not even I have the power to change that."

Scott knew that's what he deserved. But he needed to fix it. All of it.

"And if I go back?"

"You go back. I pay my debt. Next time you die I won't be able to help you."

"But I will go back."

"Injured, but yeah. You'd have to let yourself heal as soon as possible. But those eyes tell me you probably won't."

Scott blinked at her. He knew it was pointless to try and lie to Death herself. 

"I'll go back."

Death sighed. "It's gonna hurt, you know?"

"I don't care."

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Because this was not supposed to happen. You were never supposed to suffer like this."

Scott looked at her, trying to understand.

"I promised her you'd live to an old age."

"Who? Who did you promise?"

But in the background, he could hear his mom crying for him. Clamoring for him. 

He felt the hit in his chest. It hurt. 

"Off you go, m'ijo."

He felt the second hit. He could feel blood running through his veins. 

"Please, tell me, can I win? Can I protect everybody?"

"Of course not, m'ijo. You are not a god."

He felt the third hit and suddenly he was roaring, back in the floor of the library, his mother next to him, Mason looking dumbfounded. 

He could've sworn he had heard Death say "not yet".

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the way "The Book of Life" presented the afterworld in Mexican mythology, even if it's not accurate. 
> 
> Death in Aztec mythology is a dual deity, the Lord and Lady of Mictlan. They live in a windowless palace in the northernmost point of the Underworld. Death in Aztec mythology are not forgotten, but I am taking that concept from The Book of Life to acknowledge that I present Scott's death as Suicide by Theo. 
> 
> Also, warriors who died in the line of duty went to the East to ride with the sun. I'm referring to Allison when I mention it. 
> 
> The image of Death, again, can be taken from The Book of Life, or from this short: https://youtu.be/6Jaox1nnMc0?t=4m23s


End file.
